Construction Coalition for a Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s this – there is no place for drugs and alcohol on a construction site.

It was that simple phrase that led to the creation of the “Construction Coalition for a Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace”—a group of construction industry organizations that joined together in order to eliminate the fatalities and injuries caused by substance abuse on construction jobsites.

One issue that resonates with all those in the construction industry is the health and safety of the workforce - more specifically, the issue of employees involved in drug and alcohol abuse.

While there are numerous state and local laws regulating substance abuse testing, there is no federal law on the books requiring companies to have a substance abuse policy.

Over the past several months, representatives from ABC, AGC, WCOE, Construction Industry Roundtable, and Construction Owners Roundtable formed a coalition and appointed a top-notch team of construction safety professionals to work out the details of a comprehensive model substance abuse policy that could be implemented by any firm, anywhere.

Using criteria from companies with the highest safety standards including major corporations such as DuPont and Merck, this team developed a policy and “best practices” that the entire construction industry could agree on, and that the owner/user community could endorse.

Here are the details.

WCOE is a founding member of the Coalition and has a permanent seat on the 9 member Board of Directors.

The Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace supports a zero-tolerance policy that aims to eliminate substance abuse-related accidents on jobsites and provide appropriate courses of action— including rehabilitative processes—for employers to implement.

As a construction contractor, your pledge is that your company will take reasonable action to create and maintain a workplace free from substance abuse. Your company will work to increase awareness of the dangers of substance abuse within the workplace and throughout the construction industry. In addition, all current and potential employees will be required to submit to a urine drug screen – where applicable by state and local law.

If they refuse to submit to this test, corrective actions will be recommended, including the possibility that they will not be permitted to work for the company.

It’s that simple.

Today is the coordinated launch of the program with press releases and media coverage.

Now, comes the important part – how you can make a difference in the safety of the industry.

Take the pledge today and sign-up on the official website for the Construction Coalition for a Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace - www.drugfreeconstruction.org.

It will take you less than a minute, but your commitment to a drug and alcohol free workplace could make a lifetime of difference in protecting your employees on the jobsite.

So, take a minute and join us in making our jobsites even safer, and help ensure that all of your employees return home safely at night.